People Are Shipping Rihanna and Chris Brown Again—But Should They?

Rihanna made headlines with her recent Instagram post, where she fabulously wore a jewel encrusted bikini with her new turquoise hair. However, fans were quick to notice a familiar name leave a suggestive comment.

Chris Brown, the 29-year-old singers ex-boyfriend, showed his approval of the star’s sexy photo by leaving a double-eye emoji. In less than an hour, over 4,000 users liked Brown’s comment. In case they had forgotten, Rihanna filed assault cases against Brown in 2009 after he had physically and emotionally attacked her. He was sentenced to 180 days of community service and five years probation for the assault. Rihanna came back to him in 2013, but (thankfully), she walked away shortly after.

“Guys why ya’ll gotta be hating on Chris..it’s just an emoji with eyes doesn’t mean his he wants her back…Like stop the judging him y’all are perfect..everyone makes mistakes so I think y’all should stop hating on him and shout y’all trap holes,” one fan even wrote. Clearly, there seems to be a lack of understanding on that user’s part.

In a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Rihanna gives us a glimpse of the trauma she endured, saying, “I was very protective of him. I felt that people didn’t understand him. Even after … But you know, you realize after a while that in that situation you’re the enemy.” She also explains why she doesn’t like to talk about it in interviews: “It’s not a subject to sweep under the rug, so I can’t just dismiss it like it wasn’t anything, or I don’t take it seriously. But, for me, and anyone who’s been a victim of domestic abuse, nobody wants to even remember it. Nobody even wants to admit it. So to talk about it and say it once, much less 200 times, is like … I have to be punished for it? It didn’t sit well with me.”

There were some users who came to the singer’s defense, bringing to light why there is a dark side to Brown’s comment. While it isn’t always easy to deal with, we should remember that abuse–whether physical, emotional or verbal–should not be tolerated.